"Principal, I want to take a day off and go out for a walk."
In the secret space of Kamar-Taj, Vera spoke softly to Carter as they worked high above the emerging Sanctum structure.
"What's wrong? Do you feel unwell?" Carter asked, concern evident in her voice.
Vera had always been one of her favorite students. According to Carter's personal timeline, they hadn't seen each other for nearly thirty years, reuniting only recently. Her concern was only natural.
"You know the situation out there isn't favorable right now," Carter continued. "Voldemort has formed the Hunter-Slayer Society and they're frantically searching for any trace of us."
"Even if you disguise yourself with Muggle appearances and employ various concealment spells, the risk remains significant."
"I've checked and rechecked our protections at least three or four times," she added, her voice betraying her anxiety.
She worried about Vera. The investigation outside had grown remarkably stringent. Prudence dictated extreme caution during such times.
"Don't worry," Vera reassured her. "I'll simply go for a walk and simultaneously gather some intelligence."
"Perhaps we can locate other companions who have already arrived."
Thus far, only seven or eight sorcerers had gathered at the New York Sanctum.
From the initial group of nearly twenty, eleven mages remained unaccounted for, with no information regarding their whereabouts.
Everyone's concerns seemed justified, especially given Kamar-Taj's current state of contraction.
Externally obtained information had become increasingly scarce and less sensitive.
At best, they knew a few details about New York's immediate surroundings. The rest of America, London, and other continents remained complete mysteries.
Moreover, Vera had experienced a series of challenging events since her arrival. While she understood the circumstances, frustration lingered.
Now that the Sanctum's foundational work was complete, only the finer details remained. Her presence—or absence—would make little difference.
She wanted to use these few days to explore and release her pent-up emotions.
Hearing Vera's reasoning, Carter neither refused immediately nor agreed. She appeared hesitant, contemplative.
Noticing this hesitation, Vera immediately sat opposite Carter, widened her eyes, and gazed at her teacher expectantly, resembling a hopeful child.
Carter felt helpless witnessing this display.
She wasn't blind to Vera's emotional state—she could read the subtle signs in her student's eyes.
But she trusted Vera's capabilities. This restlessness represented merely a minor concern.
Therefore...
"Go ahead," she relented. "Visit Africa, Europe, see what you can."
"Remember, avoid the British Isles. Stay away from London."
"Anywhere else should be fine."
"Thank you, teacher!" A bright smile immediately illuminated Vera's face.
"But note this—you must send daily messages reporting your intelligence findings."
"This isn't merely recreation; you bear responsibility for gathering information."
Carter's tone grew serious.
If she couldn't prevent Vera from leaving, she would at least ensure the excursion served their cause.
Vera nodded her agreement, indicating she understood completely.
Then she turned and walked away, eager to witness how the world had changed during the past thirty years.
Europe, Paris
Thirty years ago, Paris belonged to France.
Now, France no longer existed as a sovereign nation.
Yet Paris remained a city synonymous with romance throughout Europe.
Anyone harboring romantic aspirations inevitably visited Paris sooner or later.
As wizards and Muggles increasingly intermingled, cultural exchange flowed both ways.
Muggles embraced aspects of wizarding culture, while wizards absorbed elements of Muggle society.
Paris, the quintessential city of romantic love, charmed wizards and Muggles alike.
This represented Vera's first destination.
As a young witch still in her twenties, she maintained idealistic notions about love.
Vera strolled through Parisian streets, admiring the blooming flowers and romantic decorations that adorned the city.
The depression that had permeated the atmosphere following the "natural disaster" had largely dissipated.
Seeing the gentle smiles exchanged between couples, Vera found herself infected with hope for the future.
She reached the end of a boulevard and turned into a narrow alley.
Soon, Vera stood alone in the middle of the passageway.
This didn't surprise her—indeed, she had anticipated it.
Raising her wand high, she executed graceful, swift movements through the air.
An invisible, encrypted ripple expanded outward.
These magical pulses gradually enveloped Paris.
After completing the spell, Vera remained stationary, waiting patiently.
But...
No sorcerer appeared before her.
Disappointment flickered across her features.
Apparently, no fellow mages currently resided in Paris.
Undeterred, Vera exited the alley. As her magical shield dissipated, pedestrians gradually reappeared in the space she had vacated.
The absence of companions did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm for exploration.
She made her way to the iconic Eiffel Tower.
Even after thirty years, the magnificent iron structure still dominated the skyline.
Crossing the Seine, she ascended the tower.
Standing at its summit, she gazed across the entire city.
After a while, the historical reverence the Eiffel Tower typically inspired gradually faded.
Descending, Vera headed toward the Louvre.
Observing its magnificent architecture, she sensed a peculiar magical atmosphere emanating from within.
Narrowing her eyes, she hesitated briefly before turning away.
She had come to enjoy herself and gather intelligence, not to invite conflict.
This principle remained clear in her mind.
Though she wondered why wizards might occupy the Muggle Louvre, she harbored no immediate intentions to investigate further.
Returning to the Seine's banks, she gazed at the sparkling water.
Then—
Buzz!
Black light flashed, and Vera disapparated!
In an instant, her figure materialized amid Finland's snow-covered landscape.
The entire planet now existed under a single Federation, with former nations reduced to mere geographical designations.
Finland had lost its sovereignty, becoming simply the name of a city.
Most significantly, it now functioned as a new settlement primarily populated by European wizards.
Its proximity to Durmstrang Institute certainly influenced this development.
This constituted Vera's second destination.
"Meditation method! Morning Light Meditation—grand opening promotion, only 25 gold Galleons!"
"Master Salo's meditation potion—guaranteed reliable! Just 9 gold Galleons for five bottles, an incredible discount!"
"Wands! Wands specially designed for Muggle-born wizards..."
Vera wandered through streets teeming with wizards, listening to the vendors' enthusiastic proclamations with interest.
Shop owners remained inside their establishments, while the street hawkers appeared to be primarily Muggle-born wizards.
Sensing their faint magical fluctuations, Vera shook her head slightly but offered no comment.
When her teacher Lockhart developed the new magic system, he undoubtedly intended to increase the wizarding population.
Simultaneously, he likely aimed to use Muggle-born wizards to challenge the social dominance of pure-blood wizards.
After all, pure-bloods had monopolized nearly 90% of the wizarding world's resources.
Disrupting this monopoly required an alternative force—namely, Muggle-born wizards.
Yet observing the sparse magical capacity of these Muggle-born practitioners, combined with everything she had witnessed during her journey, Vera recognized that the pure-blood monopoly persisted largely unchanged.
At most, appearances had improved, with exploitation becoming less obvious.
Vera sighed but took no further action.
She herself could be considered a Muggle-born wizard. Originally a Squib, she had learned alongside Lockhart, gradually developing her current abilities.
She entered a nearby shop to examine the meditation methods for sale.
Various types appeared to be available, each with notably different content.
After shaking her head, she departed.
She examined magical materials, potions, and enchanted items.
However, having experienced the vast magical diversity of the multiverse, Vera found little to impress her.
Eventually, she spotted some cute wizard pendants and purchased several.
As she left the wizarding city, Vera experienced a slight chill running down her spine.
But the sensation quickly passed, and normalcy returned.
Vera dismissed the feeling.
Given the city's substantial wizard population, she had avoided casting large-scale information-gathering magic.
Instead, she had burned a few runic symbols in conspicuous locations to convey relevant information.
Her second stop thus concluded.
Stepping beyond Finland's borders onto open grassland, she admired the distant snow and clear sky above.
A faint smile crossed her face as the grievances in her heart eased considerably.
Then—
Roar!
A thunderous bellow echoed from the distance.
A small dot appeared on the horizon, its wings beating steadily as it approached.
Vera's enhanced vision revealed the massive creature's identity.
A fire dragon.
Its body covered in flame-colored scales that occasionally emitted sparks, the sight filled Vera with excitement.
Noticing the dragon appeared to be flying toward her position, Vera couldn't resist raising her wand and soaring toward the magnificent beast.
In the New World, she had never encountered a living dragon—at most, she had seen skeletons.
The wizarding world had significantly relaxed restrictions on magical creatures.
Yet this marked her first encounter with a fire dragon.
She had previously raised a pure white dragon named Xie, eventually releasing it in the New World.
It hadn't accompanied her on this return journey.
As the fire dragon drew nearer, its ferocious expression becoming clearer, Vera extended her wand and made a slight forward motion.
Hiss!
Instantly, the wand released dark yellow beams that streaked toward the fire dragon.
Roar!
When the corrosive yellow light contacted the dragon's scales, it immediately left scars on the flame-colored surface.
Some beams penetrated beyond the scales, entering the creature's body.
Roar!
Another thunderous cry erupted, this one tinged with pain.
The rapidly approaching dragon suddenly beat its wings powerfully, hovering in mid-air.
It stared at the wizard before it.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, the dragon opened its massive jaws, releasing a ball of deep purple flames directly at Vera.
She extended her wand, sliding it rightward through the air.
A dark blue barrier materialized before her, blocking the scorching dragon fire.
Seeing its attack neutralized, the dragon's rage intensified.
It flexed its powerful claws and charged toward Vera.
Witnessing this, she quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Once secure, she raised her wand, preparing to cast a spell to subdue the dragon.
Suddenly—
Vera glanced beyond the dragon and noticed several black dots in the distance.
These spots grew increasingly distinct—wizards rushing toward the confrontation.
Observing this development, Vera narrowed her eyes as she assessed the fire dragon.
Whoosh!
Black light flashed, and she disapparated once more.
Vera's figure vanished instantly.
Space distorted around her.
Countless scenes flashed before her eyes—mountains, rivers, cities, wilderness.
Vera recognized this phenomenon perfectly.
Long-distance Apparition naturally produced such effects.
This represented a vast improvement over the original version, which induced severe physical distortion.
Careless execution could result in splinching—forced bodily separation resulting in death.
Her teacher had optimized Apparition further.
Specific runes now ensured bodily stability, with spatial distortion limited to perception rather than physical form.
Additionally, the success rate had increased dramatically, eliminating life-threatening dangers.
A difficult spell had been transformed into a practical, everyday tool.
Vera understood this process intimately.
She had already determined her destination.
Normally, arrival would require less than a second.
However—
Boom!
During her spatial transit, something unprecedented occurred.
Without warning, the surrounding space violently convulsed.
This spatial anomaly—the kind witnessed perhaps once in a century—engulfed Vera entirely.
Sensing the disruption, her expression immediately transformed.
Magical energy surged outward, enhancing her Apparition's stability.
Pale golden runes circulated rapidly across her body, attempting to stabilize her spatial frequency.
As the spatial oscillations intensified, she lost precise positional targeting.
A ruthless determination flashed in Vera's eyes. She quickly brought her hands together, alternating complex gestures between left and right to activate additional magical power.
The pendant around her neck suddenly illuminated, releasing a drop of dark blue liquid that generated massive spatial fluctuations.
Powerful dark blue spatial energy spread rapidly, enveloping Vera and stabilizing the surrounding void.
She seized this opportunity to forcefully penetrate the spatial disturbance.
With one final push, she broke through to physical reality!
Thud!
Another emergency resource consumed.
Vera silently cursed her misfortune, yet simultaneously felt profound gratitude.
Had her teacher not provided that drop of spatial power, this incident might have ended disastrously.
The next moment, Vera surveyed her surroundings, extending her magical senses to determine her location.
Suddenly, her expression froze in horror.
This place...
London. The Wizarding Tower!
The moment this realization struck, Vera hastily waved her wand to conceal her presence.
She hadn't forgotten that Voldemort had mobilized virtually every elite wizard throughout the Federation to hunt for any trace of them.
Teacher Carter had repeatedly emphasized avoiding the British Isles, particularly London—Voldemort's stronghold.
Yet here she stood.
Truly, when misfortune strikes, it pours without mercy.
Vera's mind raced. She raised her wand, preparing to cast another spell and depart immediately.
A wise person never lingers beneath a dangerous wall.
She lacked confidence in her ability to survive alone in the enemy's central stronghold.
However—
"I never expected to greet such a distinguished visitor from afar."
"Ms. Vera, perhaps you might enjoy a cup of coffee before departing?"
A cold male voice carried across the space.
Vera, though invisible, turned toward its source.
She discovered a young man standing not far away, regarding her with an amused smile.
Her blood froze.
Standing before her was Voldemort—Tom Riddle himself.